Indian court asked to rule on whether Hindu guru dead or meditating

[intaglio]

Via "The Telegraph"

His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj, the founder of the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan religious order with a property estate worth an estimated £100 million, died in January, according to his wife and son.

However, his disciples at his Ashram have refused to let the family take his body for cremation because they claim he is still alive.

According to his followers, based in the Punjab city of Jalandhar, he simply went into a deep Samadhi or meditation and they have frozen his body to preserve it for when he wakes from it.

I wonder whether he was holding a sign a la Granny Weatherwax "I aintn't dead" and how annoyed he'll be if he wakes to find out that the aptosis from the cells ruptured by freezing has killed him.

[cbayer]

1. Wow! "He has spent many years meditating in sub-zero temperatures in the Himalayas"

I wonder if there is any truth to that at all.

The theories about this being about money are interesting.

At any rate, I suspect her is truly deceased.

[Warpy]

2. Once they froze him, they froze him to death

so it would be insane of the court to decide otherwise.

While the particularly adept have been able to put themselves into ventricular fibrillation for short periods, having their pulse disappear and heart activity register only on an EKG, none has been able to defy the damage caused by a deep freeze.

The only thing the court really has to decide is whether or not the cult might have murdered him.

[cbayer]

4. The question of murder is not what the court is looking at.

They are to determine whether he is actually dead or not.

But the family may pursue further if they are able to obtain the body.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. They should be looking at murder

In Britain, the cult leaders would be arrested for 'preventing the lawful burial of a body', and then they'd be able to do an autopsy to determine if he was murdered. It's an obvious line of inquiry. He's dead - everyone knows that, it's just pandering to religion to pretend otherwise - but they do have to establish if he was killed, of if one of the con artists is just trying to keep control of the money after he died of natural causes. But there's no reason to think they're not capable of murder as well.

[cbayer]

9. I think that may come later, as the family want to "investigate"

his death.

This is just the first step in that process, I think.

Based on the limited information that I have available, I wouldn't rule out foul play at all. Did you think I did?

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. I did think you were, and I apologise for leaping to that conclusion (nt)

[cbayer]

11. Thanks. This whole case reeks, as does the organization involved.

[Act_of_Reparation]

3. Maybe he's pining for the fjords?

[Goblinmonger]

12. I feel fine

[struggle4progress]

5. Yup: he's dead

[okasha]

6. The MC at the powwow I attended last week

had a joke to share that seems apropos here:

A Christian, a Jew and a Traditional Native American all go into a bar, where they meet a fourth friend whole has just come from a funeral. The conversation turns to the beautiful eulogy, and the fourth man asks the others, "What would you guys like them to say at your funerals?"

The Jew thinks a moment and responds, "I'd like them to say that I was a faithful and loving husband, a wise father, an honest man in all my dealings, and a true and humble servant of my God."

The Christian cogitates for a moment, then says,"Yeah, me too!"

Their eyes all turn expectantly to the Native Anerican. He grins, points at an imaginary coffin and exclaims, "He moved! He moved!"

[cbayer]

7. Very funny!

Love jokes like that.

[Warren Stupidity]

13. That is ridiculous. Nobody can leave their body and then come back to it again.

How can anyone believe nonsense like that?